Shallow-fixed street planters bring peace of mind to the heart of Wembley

19/03/18

It takes a lot to take the shine off the nearby Wembley Stadium but Brent Borough Council’s new civic centre won a host of admirers – and picked up a host of awards – when it opened its doors five years ago.

Designed to bring the council’s public and administrative functions under one roof, the £90m building, which provides office space for 2,000 council employees, boasts a huge naturally lit foyer and atrium, a community hall, library and a civic chamber.

It is exceptionally eco-friendly – it is the most sustainable local authority building in the UK – and also looks the part, thanks to a landscaped garden which has been created outside.

Now it has benefitted from some more innovations in the shape of seven Securiscape PAS 68-rated security planters installed across the glassed front entrance.

Finished in brushed stainless steel, a double yellow stripe to complement the nearby security bollards and a neat display of evergreen plants, the planters allow free access for pedestrians, but create a secure boundary against vehicles.

To the naked eye, they look like a row of stylish designer planters, but underneath lurks a high-tech steel framework which surrounds a tough polyethylene planter and is strong enough to stop a 7.5 tonne truck travelling at 40mph in its tracks – which is what earned them their coveted PAS 68-2010 standard.

What’s more, all this was made possible despite the planters having to be retrofitted into a street surface, with the added challenge that, since the underground car park is directly underneath, the depth for excavations was limited.

Thankfully, this was not a problem for our security planters which require fixings of only 100mm – this is the shallowest on the market - and enabled us to complete the installation in just four days.

Mark Stone, managing director of Securiscape, said: “Brent Civic Centre is a wonderful new facility for the whole borough and we feel privileged to have been asked to install our planters outside.

“We are very pleased to have completed the task on time and within budget, not least because the requirement for shallow fixings would have been beyond the capability of other products.

“Safeguarding staff and public is of paramount importance and this installation is a perfect example of how sensitive and creative security installations can enhance the local built environment, rather than detracting from it.”

Based in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, Securiscape is a young and ambitious company with a growing list of successful projects to our name, having installed planters outside iconic and high profile buildings in Leeds, Birmingham, Nottingham and elsewhere in London.

We also supply reinforced bollards and street furniture, bomb-proof litter bins and our ingenious SecuriPods, a temporary defence which can be installed in minutes to protect pedestrians attending outdoor events.

Want to know more about our PAS 68 planters or our other exciting products? Contact our sales team on 01335 370979 or email info@securiscape.co.uk